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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

2011 JOEY RAMONE BIRTHDAY BASH DETAILS UNVEILED

10 YEARS AFTER HIS PASSING, THE PUNK-ROCK LEGEND LIVES ON

New York, NY: On what would have been his 60th birthday, the life of punk icon JOEY RAMONE will once again be celebrated at the annual JOEY RAMONE BIRTHDAY BASH which takes place Thursday, May 19th at The Fillmore New York at IrvingPlaza. Mickey Leigh, event organizer and brother of Joey Ramone, has announced this year’s lineup and a sellout Bash is expected again.Net proceeds will go to benefit Lymphoma research.

This year's Bash is the 11th annual event commemorating the life and music of the Ramones vocalist and main songwriter. Reflecting on the past decade, Leigh remarked: "You would think it the other way around, and normally it is, but the contributions my brother made seem to be of greater and greater value as the years go on. Even just the fact that his life is still being celebrated ten years after his passing is worth celebrating. Of course, at the same time some of us will also be celebrating the life of Jeffry Hyman, the guy I grew up with, and still look up to as someone who so dramatically overcame tremendous adversity in order to achieve what he did. That person was not ‘Joey Ramone,’ but was certainly someone most deserving of celebration as well."

The celebration will be headlined by Hugh Cornwell (ex Stranglers) featuring Clem Burke (Blondie) and Steven Fishman (James White and the Blacks). Also performing at the Bash will be Black 47, Richard Lloyd, The Rattlers, Sunday Masquerade, and The Indecent. As a special addition, this year’s spectacular party will feature a tribute to Joey performed by the “Joey Ramone Birthday Bashers” who will debut songs from Joey's much anticipated forthcoming, second posthumous solo album. Several special guests will also be offering up renditions of Ramones songs written by the band’s much revered and sorely missed lead singer. Confirmed to participate are Richie Ramone, Tommy Ramone, Richie Stotts (Plasmatics), Bebe Buell, Ed Stasium, Andy Shernoff (Dictators), Ali McMordie (Stiff Little Fingers) Al Maddy, Walt Stack (the Bullys), and Mickey Leigh. Surprise guest are a normal occurrence at this event, video tributes from artists all over the world are expected, and in what has become a Birthday Bash tradition, Sean O’Sullivan's Punk Pipers will round out the night with their rendition of “I Wanna Be Sedated” on bagpipes.

The Masters of Ceremony for this year’s fete will be Steve Craig, John Holmstrom (Punk Magazine), and Matt Pinfield of 101.9 WRXP radio. Additional surprises are anticipated at the evening’s events.

RAMONE, who passed away April 15th, 2001, after a seven-year battle with Lymphoma, had a history of encouraging up-and-coming bands in New York’s downtown music scene by showcasing them at his special “Joey Ramone Presents” events. Since RAMONE’s passing, his brother has carried on the tradition “by featuring bands that make great music and gathering together some of our family, friends, and Joey’s fans to celebrate him on what would otherwise be a sad, somber day,” Leigh explained.

This year’s Bash is being sponsored by Manic Panic, the Village Voice, New York Waste, 101.9 WRXP and Bravado.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in advance through Ticketmaster here. The Fillmore is located at 17 Irving Place, corner of 15th Street, NYC. Doors open at 7PM.

For ongoing updates, visit http://www.joeyramone.com/. Net proceeds from the Bash go to support the Joey Ramone Foundation for Lymphoma Research.